


Lion's Roar

by Catullus_50



Category: Tokusatsu, Tokusatsu Gagaga
Genre: F/F, Falling In Love, Girls Kissing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 18:15:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 2,167
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20568728
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Catullus_50/pseuds/Catullus_50
Summary: Kitashiro thinks Nakamura is an idiot who will ruin her careful cover. She's not entirely wrong, but it doesn't ruin her life after all.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [obstinateRixatrix](https://archiveofourown.org/users/obstinateRixatrix/gifts).

_That girl was either careless or a fool,_ Kitashiro Yuko thought, as she spotted the gashapon capsule under her bench. _Perhaps Nakamura was both._ When she had started this job, the other woman had seemed ordinary enough, but Kitashiro had seen the subtle hints that gave her away. And, now, the not-so-subtle: first on the train, and now _this_. Leaving out your toys at work, where anyone could find them. She glared at it as she put on her shoes.

She shuddered inwardly as she remembered the condescension she had endured after she had been outed as a fan at her former job. The constant _assumptions_ about who she was and what she wanted had worn her down enough to leave the job completely. And her coworkers had thought they were being _nice_. She sighed and fished under the bench for the toy. Carefully she placed it in the other woman’s locker. This time at least, she would have to save Nakamura from the consequences of her careless actions. Surely she wasn’t as hopelessly naive as Miyabi had been.


	2. Chapter 2

Kitashiro was wrong. Nakamura was _worse_ somehow. That earnest face spouting such nonsense as “age and gender don’t matter when it comes to stuff you love” made her blood boil. As if she knew anything about how the world worked. As if she could get away with such naivete. As if other people thought that way, and would allow her to just enjoy her obsession in peace. And she was going to drag Kitashiro down with her. Fear roiled her gut, twisting into anger, and she lashed out, “I don’t want to be your friend! Stop acting so close to me, it’s pathetic and a nuisance!”

Instantly she regretted it. She regretted the whole conversation, but the words were already out, just like before. Nakamura’s eyes welled up with tears, and she fled before she could watch them spill. She hadn’t meant to hurt her, just drive her safely away. And if it disabused her of her idiotic notions, so much the better. It would be better for her now, even if it hurt.

Only later at home, when her temper had cooled, did she notice she had left her travel case behind. A sharp spike of fear pierced her as she realized she had handed over the clue to her secret. But Nakamura would never guess it. She wouldn’t notice. She hoped.


	3. Chapter 3

Of course she had guessed it. The world hadn’t ended after all, despite being in the clumsy hands of Nakamura. And, more strangely, her awkward overtures of friendship had worn Kitashiro down, charmed her against her better judgement, enough to get her to come to group karaoke. 

Now she found herself laughing with Miyabi again, as if all those months of no contact had never happened. And it was Nakamura, oblivious, careless Nakamura, who had been the catalyst. Nakamura, who was currently doing a ridiculous pose from what must have been her show. _Maybe we could be “comrades” after all,_ she mused. _We may not have the same interests, but she puts her whole heart into it. I know the feeling._ She smiled into her tea. 

The song finished, and a tired Nakamura collapsed onto the bench next to her. "I'm exhausted!" She swept her bangs out of her eyes and downed half of her drink in one go. “ And also wired. It's been a while since I've done something this fun; I never want to stop. Have you ever done this kind of thing before?” She glanced over at Kitashiro. “Ah! Sorry! I didn’t mean to pry!” 

She must have been wearing her habitual uninviting expression. “Miyabi and I did karaoke once before. But with a large group like this, it feels a little like being at a show. Being in an ocean of fellow fans is like nothing else, though, everyone caught up in the same feeling.” Nakamura was staring at her, open-mouthed. “What?” she snapped. Had she said something weird?

“Uh, well, you just don’t usually talk about yourself, uh, ever. I was surprised. Sorry, sorry!” She blushed and ducked her head, then fled to Yoshida, avoiding Kitashiro’s bemused gaze. 

_Just what had gotten into her?_ She sipped her tea to hide her smile, not sure if she should be annoyed or amused. Surprising herself a little, she settled on the latter.


	4. Chapter 4

“I thought Yoshida couldn’t make it because of her photography class,” Nakamura said, staring at her coffee. Just minutes ago they had been laughing about the Jushowan movie, but now gloom seemed to have settled over her.

“Well she does seem to be very busy…” Kitashiro didn’t know what to say. She wasn’t sure what the problem was, exactly.

“No, I’m fine with that. I just, I wish she had just told me.” Nakamura flashed a quick smile, but it didn’t seem real. Just sad. _Something was definitely wrong,_ Kitashiro thought. _Time to switch topics._

“You know, I saw you on the roof the other day.” _Teasing her about her personal life might work._

"Huh?" She blushed. “Oh you mean the copier guy? It’s not what you think! He just looks like Shishi Leo’s actor! I’ll show you a picture! I mean, he’s cute, I guess, but things like dating…” She made a face, “It’s just not for someone like me.” She turned on her phone, and her eyes widened. “Sorry, I have to make a quick call.”

While the other woman was on the phone, Kitashiro slowly sipped her tea and pondered. Nakamura had been her usual enthusiastic self right up until Yoshida had appeared. She had been giggling about those Christmas crab characters, and then that child had shown up, and then Yoshida. Wait, she had been a bit upset then, but it seemed like understandable disappointment, until the boyfriend showed up. _What was it that had caused her sudden mood change? Maybe…?_ She paused. _Could it be that Nakamura liked Yoshida?_

When Nakamura made a frantic exit, she remained at the table. Her tea grew cold. The thought reverberated in her mind. _Nakamura likes Yoshida. Nakamura likes Yoshida._ Oddly it hung in her mind, nagging at her, interrupting her. Maybe she was wrong. Maybe she was reading too much into this, and her. Maybe it was just the film they had seen putting ridiculous thoughts into her head; it was silly and gleeful as Nakamura herself, and full of nonsense. It would be easy to be confused after that. Maybe.


	5. Chapter 5

The New Year started eventfully. Well, eventfully for her friend Nakamura, with her estrangement from her mother, Yoshida’s absence, and whatever had happened with Damien. And since Kitashiro was her one remaining confidante, it became eventful for her too. Somehow they started taking their breaks together, huddling on the cold rooftop to talk about everything and anything. Nakamura never brought up Yoshida, so after a few gentle hints, Kitashiro decided to take things into her own hands. The best method to fix a misunderstanding was to face it head on, so she sent a few texts.

She was right. Ten minutes into a conversation between the pair of them, and everything was all smiles again. It has just been Nakamura overthinking and overfeeling again. Friendship solved. So why did it feel like her heart was clouding over?

Those clouds gathered, thickening every time they all went out together. Nakamura’s smile had been rekindled and Kitashiro was glad, mostly. The “mostly” was something she pushed down and ignored and pretended didn’t exist. The year wore on, and somehow she absorbed far more knowledge of Jushowan than she could ever need. On the other hand, she had had to smother a laugh when she caught Nakamura tunelessly humming her favorite Bee Boys’ song. It seemed they were rubbing off on each other.

* * *

Despite the scheduling nightmare, they managed to do it: the five of their group and Masaaki’s new friend Kubota all made it to the bar on a dreary night in late March. They had even managed to get a quiet, out of the way corner in the nearly empty place. Everyone relaxed. Even Kitashiro impulsively got a beer instead of her usual safe choice. Several drinks in, and the conversation devolved a little.

"Look, Toraiger is clearly the hottest Jushowan!" Yoshida declared, gleefully showing the others pictures on her phone.

"No, no, no…" Nakamura struggled to articulate her words. "Toraiger… definitely has the best butt! But Shishi Leo is the cutest!" She leaned against Kitashiro, balancing her hand on her arm. The sudden warmth she felt was surely just the alcohol. 

"Chelda is obviously the cutest!" Miyabi joined in, laughing. Masaaki, poker faced, nodded beside her. 

"You haven't even see it!" Yoshida and Nakamura said in unison, then cracked up. Nakamura still hadn't taken her hand off her arm. _She's cute like this,_ Kitashiro thought. _Not drunk, but just… carefree._ The warmth spread to her head, and suddenly she felt lighter, filled with joy. She loved everyone in this room, especially Nakamura, who was looking at her with a face that glowed. 

_Wait._ Abruptly she excused herself outside. The cold air ought to sober her up, and sobering up ought to resolve these feelings. She ducked under the overhang and watched the misting rain drip down the plate glass windows. Nearby a storm drain gurgled, still clogged with winter debris. It hadn't been the alcohol. It was her. Of all people, she had fallen for Nakamura. _Shit._

Speaking of, the woman herself edged out of the door. "Are you doing ok?" she asked.

She didn't know how to respond. She should just face it head on, but how? She stared blankly. The words just wouldn't come out.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt!" Nakamura turned to go back inside. 

"Wait," Kitashiro whispered. She struggled again to speak. It came out as a croak, half swallowed, "... I like you." 

But Nakamura just looked at her expectantly. Maybe she hadn't heard. She tried again, "When we first talked, I thought you were a naive girl who was going to wreck my life, but I was wrong. I'm glad you stubbornly made friends with me, despite everything I did to discourage you. You helped me find myself again." She took a deep breath. "You are more than a friend to me." She looked straight into Nakamura's eyes.

Which crinkled up in a smile. "You are more than a friend to me too!" She grabbed Kitashiro's hand (whose heart hiccuped in her chest), "I knew somehow that we were meant to be comrades!" And she dragged the stunned woman back inside.

* * *

_Stupid Nakamura. Stupid,_ oblivious _Nakamura._ Kitashiro walked in silence towards the train station. Everyone else had bid farewell at the bar, all except for the object of her thoughts, who struggled to keep up with her temper fueled pace. The mist had turned to a steady drizzle, and cold water dripped down her face. _And damn my own foolish self, for liking someone like her in the first place._

"Wait up!" Nakamura stumbled after her, still a little tipsy. She ignored her. The following footsteps didn’t stop. Suddenly she heard the soft thud and mumbled curse of a person colliding with a street lamp. She turned. 

Nakamura sat miserably, propped up against it rubbing her shin. Exasperated, Kitashiro returned. "You should pay more attention to your surroundings. Are you hurt?"

"I tripped!" Nakamura made a face. "It's too hard to see in the rain. And you were going so fast!"

"You go too slowly." Kitashiro offered her a hand up. "Keep up." Giving the lie to her words, she matched her pace to her friend's. For a minute they strolled together companionably in the dark, until the bright lights of the train station cut through the gloom. The damp chill seemed to seep into her bones, everywhere but her hand. Her hand that was still holding Nakamura’s. Immediately she dropped it.

Nakamura stopped. "So, um…" She blushed. "You must think I'm an idiot; when you were saying that stuff earlier..." She glanced at Kitashiro from behind her bangs. “You meant you liked me? Like that?” 

Kitashiro managed one terrifying nod. Then warm lips brushed gently against her own. Heat sparked down to her toes and suddenly she didn’t feel the cold or the rain. She reeled.

“What about Yoshida?”

“What?”

“I mean… I thought you liked Yoshida. You were so upset before. With her boyfriend”

“Oh! No, it was something my mother had said. About losing my friends to their boyfriends. She always knows how to push my buttons and I got stupidly afraid she was right.” Nakamura sighed. “I like you! I like your bluntness, and your serious face, and your smile, rare though it is. And I like you even when you are being silly or stubborn or-”

Kitashiro decided that she didn’t need to hear the rest of the list. She pulled Nakamura in for another kiss, careless of the weather. Or the departure of their train.


End file.
